The State of Network Security in Business and Professional Services survey of IT leaders in the professional services sector finds firms are struggling with significant networking and security challenges as they increasingly rely on cloud and SaaS applications to support digital-first operations.
Why it matters: The shift to remote and hybrid work, combined with the delivery of client services through the cloud, has created complex, decentralized IT environments. According to the survey, commissioned by network and security company Aryaka, these new models are introducing attack surfaces that many firms are ill-equipped to manage, particularly those with limited IT staff.
By the numbers: When asked about their top day-to-day challenges, senior IT and infrastructure leaders identified several key issues:
- 66% cited securing SaaS and public cloud applications.
- 58% pointed to managing remote user access and latency.
- 54% are operating with limited internal IT staff.
- 46% are managing too many vendors and support contracts.
Zoom in: A notable disconnect appears around edge security. Despite the rise of remote work and SaaS adoption, only 38% of respondents view edge security—which includes technologies that protect users and devices where they connect to the network—as "mission-critical." This suggests that while firms are embracing the cloud, protections for the network's perimeter may not be keeping pace.
What to watch: To address these issues, many organizations are turning to Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solutions. The survey indicates that 44% of professional services firms plan to adopt a SASE framework in the next 12 months to unify security policies, improve user experience, and reduce the operational burden on internal IT teams.
Download the full report here.
SOURCE: Aryaka
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